Monday, October 15, 2007

Blog Action Day

Today is Blog Action Day and I wanted to write about not only the environement but specifically about our water, its quality and here in the southeast, its present scarcity.We are fortunate enough to spend a week or two most summers on lovely and pristine Squam Lake in New Hampshire. It is a beautiful spot, but that doesn't just happen all on its own. The people around Squam work at it, and they work at it with great diligence. The Squam Lakes Association is a tireless group of folks whose sole goal is to "preserve the natural beauty, peaceful character and unique resource values of the lakes and their surrounding area". Why can't we all be more motivated to do the same for the bodies of water near our homes?Here's a picture I took this past summer from our little boat dock looking down onto the lake floor:unbelievably clear, isn't it? MMMMMMM, and the water is so cool and sweet!Another view of lovely Squam:

And here it is in the evening:

Notice anything different about this lake? Well, I for one, appreciate that there isn't cabin-upon-cabin on top of eachother on the lake's edge. The folks on Squam are careful about how closely they build to one another, and where their drainage goes. Preserve and Protect!!!

Just one more shot and I'm off of my soap box:

Monitor your water usage...turn the tap off when you're not using the water. Turn off the shower when you're shaving your legs - you don't need to keep the water running. And for heaven's sake, take a shorter shower....or better yet, shower with a friend!!!

I spent most of my life living with a water shortage. On a farm with no well, we had to haul water from a neighbour's and melt snow in the winter. I still can't waste water even though we have lots now.